Principal leads Valley school's turnaround

NORTH HILLS — A teary Silvia Lopez hugged Plummer Elementary School principal Angel Barrett tightly Monday, thanking her in Spanish for being "a gift from God."

"I thank God so much that you are here," Lopez said, kissing Barrett on the cheek and then wiping tears from her own cheek. The mother of three has two students attending Plummer Elementary.

"I pray he gives you a long and healthy life so you can continue to do this great work for our children."

Affection from parents is not unusual for Barrett, who can usually be found doling out hugs of her own to teachers and students.

It's also not uncommon for this principal to be thanked for her work at turning around this North Hills campus. In the decade since Barrett's been principal, Plummer Elementary has gone from being one of the worst performing schools in the San Fernando Valley to one of the best in the state – and she's been recognized as one of California's top administrators.

On Monday Barrett credited the hard work of teachers and students and the involvement of parents during a school wide rally hosted to celebrate the school's gains.

"You could look at any education research study and then walk onto this campus and see those strategies in practice... this is a great school," Barrett said.

Everyone else on campus though gives kudos to Barrett's leadership.

"She expects a lot from everyone, but she doesn't expect anything that she doesn't also expect from herself," said Nancy Fredin, a reading teacher at Plummer.

It is a shift from complacency to high standards that has driven a major turnaround at this school.

Last year students at Plummer reached a score of 809 on the state's Academic Performance Index, or API, which measures student test scores on a scale from 200 to 1,000 points with a score of 800 being the statewide goal.

That is nearly double the school's API score from 10 years ago and well above the average for the Los Angeles Unified School District, which earned Plummer the distinction of being a California Distinguished School. Barrett was also recognized as a California's National Distinguished Principal this year and recognized by the Valley's Economic Alliance with an education excellence award.

Scribbled in six black-and-white composition books, Barrett has notes on math and reading scores for all of her 980 students. Despite being the only full-time administrator at the school, Barrett holds conferences with every teacher every six weeks to discuss the progress of every student at Plummer.

Barrett also meets with her counselor and nurse once a week to talk about the physical, medical and social needs of her students. She calls local nonprofits to arrange free eye exams, dental checkups and other services for students.

"If you're looking for something to stop you from being successful, you will always find something," Barrett said. "But if you refuse to let anything stop you then you'll always find your way around a barrier."

Los Angeles Unified board member Nury Martinez, who represents the Northeast San Fernando Valley, said she hopes Barrett's passion and skills will inspire other administrators.

"It is so easy to give up on the kids of this community, to say that these kids will never learn," Martinez said.

"But this is a prime example of how teamwork and strong leadership can turn things around."

The daughter of a soybean farmer from rural Arkansas, Barrett finished high school at 16 and earned a college degree by 20. A 29-year veteran of Los Angeles Unified, with two master's degrees and a doctorate in education, Barrett could hold a senior position at the district with a higher salary and fewer demands on her time.

But Barrett, who has no children of her own, says she's found her family in the students and families at Plummer.

"How many people can say that they love their job every single day," Barrett said with a smile.

"I didn't come here just to do a job ... this is my passion ... this is my home now."